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Tampines Rovers went a third game without victory in the S.League on Wednesday after being held to a 1-1 draw by Balestier Khalsa at the Toa Payoh Stadium.

The Stags were initially on course for victory after taking the lead three minutes before the half-hour mark, when Rodrigo Tosi climbed highest inside the box to head home a Roberto Alviz freekick.

But with two minutes remaining, Balestier were awarded a penalty after Zulfadli Zainal Abidin was penalised for handball inside the area, paving the way for Miroslav Kristic to fire home the equaliser from 12 yards out.

The result means did however end the Stags’ two-game losing streak following consecutive 3-2 defeats to Geylang International and Warriors FC, although they remain sixth on the table and are eight points behind leaders Warriors FC.

Over at the Yishun Stadium, Albirex Niigata (S) saw their five-game winning run finally come to an end as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Home United.

In an evenly-contested clash, it was the White Swans who arguably came closest to grabbing the win but Kento Nagasaki and Fumiya Kogure both had goal-bound efforts expertly kept out by Hyrulnizam Juma’at, while Rion Taki was unlucky to drill a low shot off the foot of the post in the second half.

Home also threatened with Ang Zhiwei coming close inside the opening 20 minutes when he caught Yosuke Nozawa out of position with a clever lob, only for Kento Fujihara to race back in time to head off the line.

In the end, both teams just lacked a cutting edge in the final third and ultimately had to settle for a share of the spoils.

Kelantan gave their fans some much-needed cheer on Tuesday evening after beating Sime Darby 3-0 to advance from the quarter-finals of the Malaysia FA Cup with a 4-1 aggregate win.

Talismanic skipper Badhri Radzi handed the hosts the lead at the Sultan Mohammad IV Stadium four minutes before the break when he converted from the penalty spot, before Austin Amutu made it 2-0 with a fine individual strike two minutes before the hour mark.

And any hopes Sime Darby had of mounting a late fightback were extinguished in the 74th minute when Erwin Carrillo made it 3-0, sealing his side’s progress to the semi-finals in the process.

The result means Kelantan remain in contention to win silverware this season, which comes as a massive respite given their disappointing form in the Malaysia Super League.

Just eight matches into the league campaign, the Red Warriors are currently third from bottom and are already ten points behind leaders Selangor, having won just one match so far this season.

In Tuesday’s other match, Terengganu also booked their place in the semis as a 2-0 triumph over Perak at the Perak Stadium handed them a 3-1 aggregate victory.

Paulo Rangel fired the Turtles in front when he netted his second goal in as many games in the 22nd minute, and the result was effectively put beyond doubt as Issey Nakajima-Farran opened his account for the club ten minutes after halftime to double their advantage.

The last four will be completed on Wednesday with the conclusion of the other two quarter-final ties, as Pahang visit Penang with a two-goal cushion, while Johor Darul Ta’zim will be looking to overturn a 2-0 deficit from the first leg against LIONSXII.

United Football League leaders Ceres got back to winning ways following their first defeat of the 2015 campaign on Tuesday after beating Team Socceroo 4-0.

Ivorian midfielder Orman Okunaiya fired them in front on the stroke of halftime before Patrick Reichelt doubled their lead with a penalty in the 48th minute, following a foul on Nate Burkey inside the box.

Ceres then put the result beyond doubt nine minutes after the hour mark when they scored a third through a Lemuel Unabia effort, and the rout was completed eight minutes from time when Burkey also converted from the spot, after Reichelt had been brought down in the area by Stanley Ankrah.

The emphatic victory ensured Ceres responded in the best way possible, after they had their 100 per cent start to the season ended last Saturday following a 2-0 defeat to Global.

Still, with eight wins and just one loss to their name following the first round of the season, Ceres are firmly on course to challenge for the title as they currently hold a three-point lead over second-placed Stallion FC.

Warriors FC moved top of the S.League on Monday after coming from behind to record a 2-1 win over Courts Young Lions at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

It was Young Lions who drew first blood in the 23rd minute after Adam Swandi dispossessed Daniel Bennett and made his way into the area, before clinically slotting his shot into the far corner.

But in the 71st minute, the visitors equalised after Miroslav Pejic found space at the far post to head home a Marin Vidosevic cross for his first goal of the campaign.

And just five minutes later, the comeback was completed when Pejic cleverly brought down Nicolas Velez’s left-wing delivery on his chest before finishing past Syazwan Buhari to win it for his side.

The result was enough to send Warriors top of the table with a three-point lead over Albirex Niigata (S), although third-placed DPMM FC still have two games in hand and could eventually move to the summit.

Meanwhile, Harimau Muda continued their recent resurgence as they recorded a third straight win after beating Geylang International 2-1 at the Hang Jebat Stadium.

Ridzuan Abdunloh fired the Young Tigers in front after just nine minutes when he converted from the penalty spot, after Yuki Ichikawa had needlessly dragged Syafwan Syahlan down inside the area.

Four minutes later, it was 2-0 with Ichikawa the main culprit once more – sending a clearance straight to Akhir Bahari, who immediately spotted Yazid Yasin off his line and proceeded to send a perfectly-weighted lob into the unguarded net.

The visitors were able to reduce the deficit on the stroke of halftime when Jozef Kaplan lined up a freekick on the edge of the box, and sent a scorching effort past Ramdhan Hamid into the top corner.

Nonetheless, Geylang never really looked like threatening their opponents as they lacked any real endeavour and guile, allowing Harimau Muda to hold out for a well-deserved triumph.

Loyola Meralco Sparks overcame the first-half sending-off of talismanic striker Phil Younghusband to force a 3-3 draw with rivals Kaya in the United Football League on Sunday evening.

It was the Sparks who drew first blood at the Rizal Memorial Stadium when Younghusband opened the scoring after 13 minutes, only for Louis Clark to grab an equaliser four minutes before the half-hour mark.

Loyola were then dealt a real blow in the 31st minute when Younghusband was shown a second yellow after reacting aggressively to a foul by Miguel Tanton, but they managed to reclaim the lead a minute later through a Lee Joo-young strike.

Still, Kaya managed to make the most of their numerical deficit as OJ Porteria levelled the scores for them once more ten minutes before halftime, before Jovin Bedic fired them in front for the first time two minutes after the hour mark.

But just when it looked as though Kaya were going to get back to winning ways following last week’s 3-0 defeat to Stallion FC, Anthony Putrus-Schnell converted from a Lee corner to make it 3-3 and earn the Sparks a share of the spoils.

The result means both sides continue to sit comfortably inside the top five but are below third-placed Global on goal difference, with the trio of teams two points behind joint leaders Ceres and Stallion.

In Sunday’s other game, Pachanga Diliman notched only their second win of the campaign after beating bottom side Philippine Army GTI 4-1.

It was Army who got off to a dream start when John Cain broke the deadlock after just three minutes, although Lee Jeong-woo equalised from the penalty spot in the 18th minute.

Pachanga then began to gain control on proceedings and Jung Jun-hyuk netted to put them in front three minutes after the break, before Gerardo Valmayor added a third in the 59th minute.

From then on, there was only ever going to be one winner but, just for good measure, Stephen Permanes made it 4-1 after his side were awarded another penalty to complete the rout.

Song Lam Nghe An moved into second place in the V.League 1 on Sunday after recording a 3-1 win over Dong Thap at the Cao Lanh Stadium.

It was Dong Thap who took the lead after nine minutes when Nguyen Minh Hung found the back of the net, but Tran Phi Son fired the visitors level three minutes before the hour mark.

Buoyed by the equaliser, SLNA began to really push forward in search of the winner and the perseverance paid off in the 82nd minute when Le The Cuong put them in front, before Ho Phuc Tinh added a third in injury-time to wrap up the three points.

The result was enough to move them up to second on the table and they are one of three teams tied on 20 points, just two behind leaders Becamex Binh Duong.

Another of those teams are Than Quang Ninh, who moved two spots up to fourth after defeating Dong Tam Long An 1-0 at the Long An Stadium.

Vietnam international Vu Minh Tuan was the hero for Quang Ninh as he broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute, which ultimately proved enough to hand his side the win.

Meanwhile, SHB Da Nang recorded only their second triumph of the campaign in style after cruising to a 5-0 rout of XSKT Can Tho at the Can Tho Stadium.

The visitors had only been leading by a single goal at the break courtesy of Tran Van Hoc’s 37th-minute opener, but Nguyen Vu Phong soon doubled their advantage from the penalty spot nine minutes into the second half.

Melquiades Gomez then effectively put the result beyond doubt when he scored in the 76th minute and a fourth arrived through a Vo Huy Toan strike with four minutes remaining, before Vu Phong grabbed his second of the evening in injury-time to round off the scoring for Da Nang.

Over at the Pleiku Stadium, Dong Nai managed to snap a two-game losing streak after playing out a 2-2 draw with Hoang Anh Gia Lai.

Although the visitors had taken the lead when Christian Amougou netted in the 36th minute, Nguyen Phong Hong Duy equalised for HAGL six minutes after the hour mark and they then found themselves ahead through a Phan Thanh Hau strike nine minutes later.

But just when it looked like they were going to be defeated once more, Nguyen Hai Anh popped up to score in the 91st minute to earn Dong Nai a share of the spoils.

In Sunday’s final game, Nguyen Dinh Hiep struck the only goal of the evening in the 63rd minute to hand Hai Phong a 1-0 win over QNK Quang Nam at the Lach Tray Stadium.

Selangor remained top of the Malaysia Super League on Saturday evening after cruising to a 4-0 win over LIONSXII at the Shah Alam Stadium.

It took the Red Giants just seven minutes to break the deadlock, when LIONSXII’s failure to clear their lines from a freekick allowed Afiq Azmi to pounce on a loose ball and lash home from a couple of yards out.

Just four minutes later, the striker doubled his and his side’s tally when he nicked possession off Zulfahmi Arifin inside the opposition’s six-yard box before slotting past Izwan Mahbud from a tight angle.

In what turned out to be a blistering start, the hosts then firmly took control of proceedings in the 15th minute when Guilherme burst past Nazrul Nazari before squaring a pass to Afiq, who emphatically placed a shot into the top corner to complete his hat-trick.

And with 11 minutes remaining, Selangor went on to complete the rout when they hit their opponents on the counter; Guilherme being allowed to advance into the box and find the bottom corner with a left-footed strike.

FELDA United remain second and behind Selangor only on goal difference after recording an emphatic 3-1 triumph over Terengganu at the Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium.

Ahmad Syamim Yahya fired FELDA ahead after 19 minutes when he reacted quickest after Sharbinee Allawee Ramli had parried a header back into the danger zone, and smashed home on the rebound.

However, Terengganu equalised three minutes after the hour mark when Paulo Rangel made a darting run into the box to meet Norshahrul Idlan Talaha’s lovely cross with a bullet header past Farizal Harun.

But the visitors were able to reclaim the lead in the 79th minute after Edward Junior Wilson forced his way down the left before floating the ball to the back post, where Ndumba Makeche had ghosted in to score with a simple finish.

Four minutes later, FELDA made sure of the win as Wilson turned provider again, playing an audacious back-heel into the path of Zah Rahan Krangar, who calmly finished past Sharbinee for his side’s third.

Over at the Larkin Stadium, Johor Darul Ta’zim got back to winning ways after coming from behind to beat Kelantan 3-1.

It was Kelantan who drew first blood in the tenth minute, after Austin Amutu did brilliantly to latch on Gilmar’s layoff and burst in between two defenders before firing past the onrushing Izham Tarmizi.

It could easily have been 2-0 a minute later when Gilmar found the back of the net with a simple finish after the ball hard broken to him inside the area, but the goal was ruled out for offside even though replays suggested otherwise.

The hosts made the most of that reprieve when they pulled level in the 18th minute, as Amri Yahyah skipped past his man down the right and swung a dangerous cross into the box, where it was met by Hariss Harun with a thumping header into the back of the net.

Five minutes later, Harimau Selatan edged ahead when Alhaji Kamara escaped his marker’s clutches on the edge of the area before clinically finding the bottom corner with a low shot.

And three minutes before halftime, JDT went on to complete to comeback after adding a third; Amri playing a neat one-two with Kamara outside the area and rifling a left-footed effort past Khairul Fahmi’s despairing dive.

Meanwhile, PDRM also managed to get back on track following defeat last weekend as they cruised to a 4-1 rout of bottom side Sime Darby at the Majlis Perbandaran Selayang Stadium.

Ali Ashfaq opened the scoring for the Cops in the 36th minute when he broke free inside the box and managed to force the ball past opposition keeper Suffian Abdul Rahman, before slotting into the unguarded goal.

Three minutes into the second half, the Maldives international repeated the feat as he managed to nip in ahead of Suffian after a freekick had been deflected into his path and fire home emphatically.

PDRM then made it 3-0 four minutes later and this time it was Mohamadou Sumareh on target, as he climbed highest inside the area to meet Isma Alif’s cross with a deft header into the back of the net.

Sime Darby did reduce the deficit in the 76th minute when Reinaldo da Costa converted from the penalty spot, but any hopes they had of pulling off a fightback were effectively ended nine minutes from time when they had Nur Areff Kamaruddin sent off.

From then on, there was only ever going to be one winner and PDRM went on to complete the rout in the final minute as Fauzi Abdul Majid was picked out unmarked inside the area by V. Thirumurugan’s low cross, and proceeded to curl a first-time effort into the top corner.

Finally, ATM were able to snap a two-game losing streak as they played out a 1-1 draw with Sarawak at the Sarawak State Stadium.

It initially looked as though the Armed Forces were headed for another defeat when Ryan Griffiths fired Sarawak ahead in the 63rd minute, although Jerry Palacious struck the equaliser five minutes later to earn them a share of the spoils.